Do game designers get writer's block, or some equivalent thereof? I'm very curious how you other designers, hackers, and homebrewers experience this (or not). Me, though? When I get stuck on a game, it feels like the exact opposite of writer's block. With writer's block, I just stare at the page blankly, trying like hell … Continue reading Designer’s block
Author: Jason
Dungeons & Dreaming
Sometimes I get game ideas while dreaming. I used to post them to G+, but since that's soon to be gone, I figured I'd share a few here that I dug up. I dreamt I designed a super-simple D&D variant that fit the rules entirely on a quarter of a standard 8.5″ x 11″ page, … Continue reading Dungeons & Dreaming
1d52
A misreading of something in Index Card RPG got me thinking about how you might replace d20 resolution with a standard deck of playing cards, if you were so inclined. (I’m guessing most people would not be so inclined, but it was a fun exercise for me when I wrote it up on G+ months … Continue reading 1d52
20 supernatural backlash effects
Awhile back, I ran a playtest of Halos & Hellfire, a hack of Lasers & Feelings I designed to run urban fantasy adventures of angels and demons inspired by In Nomine. I used the magic system from Sorcerers & Sellswords, which effectively allows you to produce any supernatural effect thematically appropriate to your background, but … Continue reading 20 supernatural backlash effects
Nuka World(s)
I have something of a hobby within a hobby: not just making and playing RPGs, but specifically, making and remaking hacks to play my favorite video games with friends. I've already made two hacks to play Fallout, and have been kicking around ideas for a third, built on the system for Exhumed. I really have … Continue reading Nuka World(s)
Lessons from playtesting once in a blue (super wolf blood) moon
When I last wrote about playtesting Exhumed, I lamented that it seemed impossible to deliver a fun experience to my friends and whip my rules into shape. I had been trying to test so many different mechanics across so many sessions that each session was getting bogged down with the fallout of experimental fixes that … Continue reading Lessons from playtesting once in a blue (super wolf blood) moon
Exploiting Details: An Unfinished System
Last year, I ran a game of It's Not My Fault! with a new set of "house rules" for a group of players who'd never played any Fate game before. I replaced Fate-specific jargon with terms that made sense in conversation, stripped out some rules exceptions I felt were harder to explain and remember than they were worth, … Continue reading Exploiting Details: An Unfinished System
Designing a Soulslike Action Economy
The greatest design problem I face with my soulslike tabletop RPG, Exhumed, is getting the feel right for the action economy—that is, the rules for how frequently each character can act, and what they can use those actions to do. When I showed readers online the initial approach, the most common reaction was doubt that … Continue reading Designing a Soulslike Action Economy
Setting Up (and Upsetting) Settings
Establishing a setting that everyone at the table feels invested in is very hard, but can be deeply rewarding in play. When tabletop RPG players draw on their setting-specific knowledge to solve problems, direct play, and even just make joking references, it evokes a sense that we’re all there to share something fun and special, … Continue reading Setting Up (and Upsetting) Settings
Playtesting Perils
My soulslike RPG playtest has hit a bit of a road block. As I described in a recent playtest review, Exhumed is already technically a playable game, and my free time is at a premium, so I jumped right into running a campaign to test every system. Unsurprisingly, this has indeed revealed some issues, which … Continue reading Playtesting Perils
